Capability building and talent management strategies (Summary)

Network Outputs - Procurement & Supply Chain

Meeting Details

Host: Virgin Atlantic Airways

Venue: Crawley

Theme: Capability building and talent management strategies; tools and techniques to improve and develop supply chain and procurement teams

Guest Speaker: Andrew Walker, Head of Procurement, Virgin Atlantic Airways

Members at this IRG:

• Examined how procurement academics and HR professionals position talent management
• Explored some key insights from five leading UK public / private sector organisations on how they approach the challenges presented when managing procurement talent.
• Engaged in an open exchange on the merits of and challenges presented managing procurement talent in today’s economic climate.

Meeting Agenda: Procurement and supply chain innovation and research group 75

12:30 Arrival and lunch

13:00 Welcome, introductions and overview Professor Andrew Douglas, Principal Adviser, ITW Networks

Andrew will provide an introduction to the objectives of the experience sharing group (ESG) and will invite participants to introduce themselves and note the key issues that they would like to address during the session. Andrew will then give an overview of talent management, setting the scene for the debate.

13:40 Experience sharing presentation Andrew Walker, Head of Procurement, Virgin Atlantic

Andrew will give a top level overview of Virgin Atlantic’s corporate strategy followed by a detailed insight into its supply chain and procurement function. Andrew will then set out the challenges Virgin Atlantic face with regards to capability building and talent management strategies and lead a debate on how the function can best attract, retain and develop talent.

With Q&A throughout

14:20 Best practice techniques

Each attendee will be asked to share one method with the group in which they have / are / plan to manage procurement talent in their organisation.

15:00 Coffee, refreshments and networking

15:20 Best practice debate – barriers, talent, leadership

The group will have a debate on best practices with regard to strategies to address talent management, posing the questions:

1. What are the main barriers to managing procurement talent?
2. How effective is it to bring in and train people from other disciplines / areas of the business to become effective members of the purchasing team?
3. Do you think that the CPO of the future will be more likely to have come from another discipline with no formal purchasing training / experience?

16:10 Summary of discussions

16:20 Roundtable of conclusions and insights

16:30 Close